Nina Barnes thinks Valentine’s Day should be optional. That way single people like her wouldn’t be subjected to kissy Cupids all over the place. That is, until her mom moves them next door to the brooding hottie of Greenbrier High, West Smith. He’s funny, looks amazing in a black leather jacket, and he’s fluent in Harry Potter, but she’s not sure he’s boyfriend material.

West isn’t sure what to make of Nina. She’s cute and loves to read as much as he does, but she seems to need to debate everything and she has a pathological insistence on telling the truth. And West doesn’t exactly know how to handle that, since his entire life is a carefully constructed secret. Dating the girl next door could be a ton of fun, but only if Nina never finds out the truth about his home life. It’s one secret that could bring them together or rip them apart.

Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush book is not for anyone who has to get in the last word, but it is for all book nerds, especially those who live next door to so called unapproachable gorgeous guys. There’s no debating the chemistry.

Product description

Product Description

Nina Barnes thinks Valentine’s Day should be optional. That way single people like her wouldn’t be subjected to kissy Cupids all over the place. That is, until her mom moves them next door to the brooding hottie of Greenbrier High, West Smith. He’s funny, looks amazing in a black leather jacket, and he’s fluent in Harry Potter, but she’s not sure he’s boyfriend material.

West isn’t sure what to make of Nina. She’s cute and loves to read as much as he does, but she seems to need to debate everything and she has a pathological insistence on telling the truth. And West doesn’t exactly know how to handle that, since his entire life is a carefully constructed secret. Dating the girl next door could be a ton of fun, but only if Nina never finds out the truth about his home life. It’s one secret that could bring them together or rip them apart.

Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush book is not for anyone who has to get in the last word, but it is for all book nerds, especially those who live next door to so called unapproachable gorgeous guys. There’s no debating the chemistry.

Top customer reviews

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*This book was received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The characters were quite well developed, especially West and Nina, with the effective use of multiple point of view's making this possible. The plot itself was also interesting with the book not just focusing on the budding romance but also on what it means to be family and the sacrifices we make for them. I especially appreciated the complexity of West's family situation and how it impacted his life.

Overall, this was an interesting read that was not just a romance but also had some depth to it.

The dating debate is the story of bookwork and Harry Potter lover Nina who hates valentine's day and school dances untill she falls for her brooding neighbor West.Nina is a self proclaimed hippy chick and bookworm who wants a guy with similar interests(reading and Harry Potter) she hates lying and being lied to so when West involves her in a lie shes intent on making sure he follows through.West appears to be a typical brooding teenage guy who keeps to himself and shuts people out. Until Nina forces her way into his life, shes not like the other girls he knows and at first he isnt sure what to do. But just when everything is going great Nina finds out about his secret.Will love be enough to keep them together or will the weeks of West lying to her tear them apart.

I love Chris Cannon’s books. She never disappoints. And so I fell in love with West this time and I smiled a lot, even laughed out loud. Following Nina’s many debates about everything is really something. And, of course, I got my HEA this time too. If you love light, heartwarming stories with people having real problems and not giving up, this is the book I want o read. And there are a few tips how to have a great Valentine’s Day even if you are not a great fan of the day. So, that is a big plus. OOH, and if you love dogs, you will love Gidget and that’s a plus too. I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing!

Most helpful customer reviews on Amazon.com

Amazon.com:
4.2 out of 5 stars
34 reviews

Kindle Customer

5.0 out of 5 starsLOVED it!

26 February 2018 - Published on Amazon.com

Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase

This is a good read. I LOVED the contrast between the main characters and how opposites attract. As well as the fact that 2 people who care for each other can both have completely different points of view without either being wrong... The people are believable and like able. AND I am a sucker for happy endings...

4-1/2 stars. 4-1/2 stars. Nina, a self-described hippy-chick book nerd, and her newly single mom move in next door to brooding hottie, West. They share a backyard and a driveway, but on the surface, not much else. When an upcoming Valentines Day dance forces Nina to dodge her brother's friend and West to evade his ex-girlfriend, they tell their prospective dates they're going with each other. This launches a tentative friendship that becomes something more. Nina and West both have troubled pasts that interfere with their ability to be completely open with each other. But instead of this turning into one of those, "I wish they would just talk to each other," stories, their secrets and half truths are plausible and heart wrenching.

PlotThe plotting is well done with just the right amount of drama and angst. Nina and West navigate what it means to be in a romantic relationship while their respective family issues play out around them. Both feel helpless about their situations, which leads them to make choices they may not otherwise make.

The CharactersI absolutely adored both Nina and West. Nina's constant need to debate everything and her brutal honesty made her lovable instead of annoying. She sees the world in a positive light, a "glass is half full" type. West's need to move far away from home as soon as possible is utterly relatable. Both characters experienced growth through the book, but West, more so, although I would argue he had more to overcome. Their relationship felt so authentically teen, without a lot of unnecessary drama.

Top Five Things I Enjoyed About THE DATING DEBATE1. Playful banter. Rather than the debates causing endless fights, the arguments between West and Nina were more flirtatious than not.

2. Honesty. This concept seems simple enough -- always tell the truth -- and yet it is fairly foreign in most contemporary romances. The heart of most conflict is the inability of the protagonists to tell the truth. But complete honesty brings its own conflicts that was a refreshing change from the usual.

I almost never pass up an opportunity to read an Entangled contemporary, because I know I will get a low angst, low drama story with a sweet romance and likable characters. Once again, I got what I expected with The Dating Debate.

Who?

•Nina, an avid reader, who had sworn off all boys, except fictional ones, following the demise of her parents' marriage. She was still reeling from the betrayal and abandonment her father inflicted on her, and was struggling with trust issues.

•West, the boy next door, with his brooding good looks and his lone wolf approach to life. He appeared to be content with his solitary status, but was actually weighed down by a family secret.

What?

When Nina butted in and saved West from his ex-girlfriend, he concocted a lie, that he and Nina would be attending the Valentine's dance together. This led to forced time together, and eventually, real attraction. However, as West and Nina grew closer, he was forced to decide between letting Nina in or protecting his family secret.

Why?

I found The Dating Debate to be a fun read. There were quite a few things that charmed me, and I smiled quite often as I read this book.

•West and Nina were easy to ship. I liked both of them, and also liked them together. They would get into these "arguments", which Nina would always call "debates", but they were not dramatic. In fact, they were often quite amusing. They were very sweet together too, and I liked the way their romance grew slowly.

•I actually found Nina's love for books adorable. She had these dates with her best friend, where they would go to the book store and loiter in the cafe as they read. She often wore bookish merch, and even discussed the importance of having the hardcover, paperback, and ebook version of the same book.

•I thought "the secret" was handled well. We saw the effect it had on the person suffering from the problem as well as the family members.

•West was a complicated boy, and it really broke my heart when he finally opened up to his parents about how their secret was affecting his life. I loved seeing him let his guard down with Nina, because the boy really needed to be able to do that sometimes.

•Gidget, the dog, was pretty fabulous. She stole just about every scene she was in.

•There was this side plot, that seemed a little random at first, but then I sort of understood its purpose. I have to say, I didn't actually care at one point, because I got a grand gesture out of it, and you all know how I love me a grand gesture.

•I got an epilogue!!! I always want more. I want to know what happened after, and this epilogue was the perfect kind of epilogue for me. It was jump ahead, and it made me very happy.